The Monkey Express
by DemeterChild
Summary: My version of the polar express, SRMT version. Minor Spova
1. Chapter 1

Hello! Well, they certainly won't expect this… Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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One cold, dark night, exactly 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, Sprx, Nova, Otto, and the rest of the team were up, watching none other than the Polar Express. Otto, earlier, had found the movie, upon his choice of browsing channels on a TV he had gotten last Christmas.

Now, being Otto and loving the movie, insisted on the team watching with him, and soon they reluctantly agreed.

Once they were settled, Otto turned on the TV and the movie was just starting…

It was later that night when something mysterious happened, something that would change the way the Monkey Team would see the story forever… non other than the Polar Express stopping just outside the Super Robot. They had never suspected that just watching the movie would lead to such a large, and strange, event.

And, let's go back in time, now that you know.

"Otto, why? It is late, and we all need _rest._" Gibson argued, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Otto shook his head. "Come on… you all love that movie!"

Nova leaned forward. "_You _love that movie."

Sprx, deciding it was vital they kept him from whining all night, said: "Alright. But just once for the rest of eternity."

"Okay!" Otto cheered happily, running out of the room.

Nova glared at Sprx. "Why did you do that?"

Sprx just sighed, grabbed his pillow, and walked out, following a perky green simian.

Antauri followed second, trying to remember details on the movie.

Gibson, sleepy, followed with his pillow also and flopped onto the ground, snoring.

Chiro and Jinmay sighed also, heading in the other direction to grab popcorn.

"I won't go… good luck." Nova muttered, heading back to her room.

It was in the middle of the movie when Nova headed down to watch, deciding it was better than nothing.

She glanced around at her teammates, all glancing at the TV with interest.

Antauri murmured, "Well, that was unfortunate."

Sprx nodded in agreement, blindly stealing popcorn from Chiro's bowl. Chiro didn't mind. He was on a restroom break… in other words, he didn't even know.

Nova took a little from Jinmay's bowl, every once in a while also asking questions, commenting, and taking the occasional bathroom breaks and nap.

At the end of the movie, Nova gratefully turned off the TV. Everyone decided to sleep, heading back to their rooms, and cuddling up in the warm blankets and comforters.

At Midnight…


	2. Chapter 2

Me: (Reaching towards Christmas Tree) One… More… Day…

Nova: Get over it. Besides, I stole every gift that was supposed to Sparky's… NOTHING! HA!

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The train's whistle blew, and continued it's blaring music, heading towards the Super Robot, carrying other children and robotic animals. It seems as though the train will pass the robot, but it doesn't. The Polar Express stops on the one stop that will change the story forever, but it's not like anyone noticed…

"Sparky, wake up! I see a train outside the Super Robot!" Otto cried, shaking Sprx's shoulder.

Sprx reached to the sides of his pillow, covering his ears with the edges and stirring.

"SPARKY!!" Otto cried, jumping and yelling his name and pointing.

"I'll talk to you later. Chiro… pink tastes like feet…" Sprx mumbled, stirring some more and snoring.

Otto sat down, frustrated. How could he wake up the team to see- wait. Otto looked down, reading the words on the train's cars carefully. "The… Polar… Express!!"

That was no ordinary train like he had thought. It was THE Polar Express, or at least a realistic copy, but the man's voice was familiar.

"All Aboard, Monkey Team!" the captain yelled. That's when the team woke up, looking at the train with wonder. Antauri glanced at it curiously, examining the design and amount of cars. "That looks much like the one on the movie, Team." he reported, studying it once more.

Nova read the words also, shivering nervously. "Why is this happening?! Why us?"

Sprx stood up, rubbing his eyes like he couldn't believe it.

Gibson walked up to the screen, his eyes bulging with disbelief.

"It is real! SEE! Can we go, please?!" Otto pleaded, jumping up and down like a kid who had way too much caffeine.

Gibson muttered, "Alright."

The team cheered silently, curious about their upcoming adventure aboard the no-longer-a-fantasy train, the great Polar Express.

Walking outside was much more of a challenge than deciding whether or not to go. The wind howled, stronger than normal, making snow cover them in just a few seconds of trying to walk. When they made it to the train, the captain waved a hello, giving them golden tickets and leading them to the seating area.

"Next stop: The North Pole." the captain announced, starting up the train.

"But there aren't any tracks!" Otto whispered.

Amazingly, the captain heard him. "That's the magic, Otto."

"How do you-" Otto was cut off as they went faster than light to the icy tundra, the north.

Everyone on board clutched their stomachs, glancing at each other, wondering who would throw up. It was a silent challenge.

"We're almost there, Veronica. Prepare the station."

A woman's voice said: "On it, sir!"

They had reached an icy lake thousands of miles deep, across, and a few patches of moss.

"Get ready!" The captain yelled. He seemed to yell a lot, lately.

The team held on to their seats. The _real _adventure had just begun.


	3. Chapter 3

The train simply skidded onto the ice, following an invisible track to a mound of lights in the distance. Holiday songs blared on small speakers, and dinner, upon choosing off a deluxe menu, was served happily by kind waiters and waitresses.

As they ate, a discussion took place: about what might happen next, of course. Wouldn't you wonder?

"Maybe we'll meet the REAL Santa Claus, like in the movie and book." Sprx suggested, certainty in his voice.

"What if he's sick or something and all on board have to help the elves restore Christmas?" Nova countered.

"Both of your answers to this question make sense; though all we have to do is find out."

Antauri murmured, gently taking another bite.

A little girl, about four, started crying loudly on the other side of the train, wailing about eating her shrimp with the eyes still on the body. A ten year old kid laughed and held the shrimp in front of the girl's face, which made the girl wail louder.

"Let it go." Sprx muttered when Nova got up and tried to march over to the scene.

"Why?!" she argued, spinning around to face… the captain…?!

"Because I will." he said, walking to the very last train car.

Nova sat back down, grumbling and eating her food faster and faster.

Otto looked at her worryingly, because she had eaten the cookie he asked her to give him, since she had said she didn't need one. (It came with all the orders.)

Chiro held onto her hands, stopping her.

"What's wrong now?" he muttered under his breath.

Nova shook her head and pointed outside as much as she could with Chiro's hands on hers.

There was a giant thermometer sign on the left side of the track, reading -90 degrees Fahrenheit. Nova started to shiver, her eyes turning to flames.

"Don't we have a heater in here?!" Jinmay panicked.

"It shut down two hours ago. 'Didn't notice?" Sprx replied, continuing to eat and watch Nova silently plead for warmth.

Everyone found a blanket, thick and wooly. She took it gratefully, and they watched outside while the mound of lights formed into a city, and the waiters and waitresses took up their meals.

Hours passed, meaning everyone on board was asleep, tucked into their seats and dreaming silently of holiday things, candies and presents and Santa.

The first to wake up? Everyone, because a loud remix of 'Jingle Bell Rock' had waken everyone.

The captain shut down the tune, and called, "We've arrived!"

The team glanced out the windows, staring into snow-covered windows, filled with elves cheerily wrapping gifts, reading mail sent from children all over the universe, asking for this, and for that. There was a dance club, a restaurant, and transportation center, plus a central square with the same large tree, decorations, and buildings. Elves made the ground look pelted with mini-red paintballs.

"We'll be here shortly!" the captain announced, steering the train into the square.


	4. Chapter 4

As the train halted to a stop, an elf rushed up to the captain and whispered a few words. The team's train car slid sideways, and went along, heading backwards, straight into the tunnel they had entered before coming into the large town's center. It went extremely fast, much faster than the train car should have.

A steep hill was up ahead, and they dropped, screaming and holding onto steady furniture, and the brass poles near the door that was supposed to lead to the car in front of them, but instead led to a pitiful darkness that enveloped the never-ending cavern.

"Can this thing-" Sprx was cut off by the train halting in the center of four connecting tracks, each leading to yet another tunnel.

They all jumped off, heading back inside the tunnel. They found a few torches near the entrance, along with a sign that said: 'Lost? Grab Santa's flame torches that run out of gas when exposed to natural light!' Of course, it was in a class case.

A tiny stereo blared out 'I'll be home for Christmas' as the team followed the tracks into the… workshop?

Then, they realized that the tracks had been spinning, so they followed the wrong tracks back to the town.

Every single station was abandoned, waiting to be used the next holiday season.

The lights were off, and only one elf remained, cleaning up the floors with a mop.

He must've been the janitor.

They decided to try out the glass elevator, which was seemingly new and shiny. Otto pressed the 'up' button, and they waited. Up one level was the transport tubes used in the movie. Luckily, when they reached the little glass transportation, the buttons were labeled.

Nova scooted up to the front, taking a seat, and took a look at the options.

_Town_

_Santa's Post Office_

_Naughty or Nice? Check point for Children all over_

_Workshop level 2_

_Town Center (Out of Order)_

_Santa's toy bag loading_

She groaned when she saw 'Out of Order', but Antauri gently pressed the last button.

At lightning speed, the little tube took off, and a new one took its place. Everyone continued their screaming. It stopped at the conveyor belt, presents going past a black leather cloth divided into sections. The team slid onto it, letting the belt drag them along.

They jumped inside the bag, remembering what would happen next.

"At least we have a guide." Sprx muttered, watching the last of the gifts topple in and the bag slowly close.

Antauri just murmured, "What happened then won't always happen now."

The bag was lifted, flying in the air towards the square. Otto whispered, "Are we still on time?"

Everyone nodded. "Santa needs his bag of toys before he goes. He must still be there." Jinmay pointed out.

Otto nodded in understanding, then dived into the pool of gifts and searched for his, curious.

He surfaced with a silvery-green wrapped square, written to his name. "I got it!" he said happily, taking a seat on a large box to a kid named 'Bobby.'

Sprx dived next, and surfaced with a shiny red box shaped like an oval. It was also written to him.

Nova glared at them, then thought better of it. "At least they aren't opening it." She muttered, sighing.

Gibson gently stood up. "I believe we are nearing the square." He held up a new navigator device he had gotten from last Christmas.

"Finally…" Otto said.


	5. Chapter 5

They could feel the bag being thrown into the back of the sleigh, and the top opened, revealing the elf who had whispered to the captain before their car was dislodged.

"Hello, Hyperforce. Well, that was quite the night, was it not? Join the rest of us… except you, Sprx and Otto. Stay behind with me. Someone needs to speak with you."

He finished quickly, "Santa's orders."

The remaining members headed into the crowd of elves, occasionally asking for directions. It's not like you could tell where you were going anymore.

And Sprx and Otto followed the elf away from the crowds, ending up tied to a giant candy cane near the workshop they had left behind to get to the town square.

Otto noticed this elf was the janitor from before.

"Ah, you remember, green simian?" the elf sneered, throwing the candy cane into a transport tube and pressing the 'out of order' button. "Trust me, you'll enjoy the ride, monkeys." the elf promised, as the hatch closed and the tube went at top speed, stopping next to the train and filling up with strange smelling gas…

Antauri noticed the traveling tube and strayed from the crowd gathering in front of Santa.

"I… need a bathroom break." he had excused himself, making sure the team heard him.

Then, the hatch opened, the mysterious gas fading into harmless mist.

Sprx and Otto…

"Monkey Team!" he cried out, suddenly shaken. The two Hyperforce members weren't there, and in their place were two dazed elves.

One sounded like a snoring Sprx, another looking at Antauri curiously, much like Otto would.

"What did you do?!" Sprx the elf screeched at Antauri, then looked ashamed, remembering that the elf was back at the workshop.

Antauri stepped back calmly.

The rest of the team rushed over, gathering a crowd behind them. Nova turned green, and then recognized it.

"Candy cane mixed with a poisonous gas called Martini…"

"Martini?" Gibson questioned. "Even I do not know what you are saying."

Nova faced the crowd. "The mix, once touching metal or exposed skin, turns you into whatever the creator, at the time of the mixture's creation, says so. If breathed, it can do something related to this. Sometimes it's irreversible."

Gibson looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"How have you figured that?" Antauri asked her. She shivered and shook her head.

"No… stop…"

Gibson stood to explain next. "There was once an accident in my lab… yes, now I know what she is saying! Long before, when Chiro was in his monkey-like state, though many did not know, I made a mixture like that one, saying, 'Human'. I believe I was thinking that would make him return, but it instead was used on Nova. Of course, it was an accident, and was not publicly announced. In fact, it lasted a mere 12 seconds."

Nova nodded, returning to 'normal.'

"Well… how can we fix this one?" Nova asked him, glancing at the elves still aboard the glass tube.

Antauri closed his eyes, starting to glow a deep red and green, sending the energy into Sprx and Otto, returning them to normal.

"That was completely random." Sprx admitted.

They climbed out, and the tube was removed to get cleaned. The captain said he didn't detach the train car, and it must have been some other force.

"I knew evil wouldn't leave, even on a holiday." Nova murmured.

Antauri shook his head. "It is merely a force of action, of somebody who had reasons to capture Sprx and Otto."

Gibson said, "I know that elf. He hates Christmas Eve, most of all. I had read a story about him. He often captured two out of all who rode the Polar Express, and did the same just now. He was tired of working hard and wanted more help, so he did this in secret. I am sure some of the elves here were once children riding the express before the story or movie were even written."

"Wow, this gets weirder and weirder." Nova whispered.

"And where did you find that story?" a familiar voice asked Gibson curiously.

It was Mandarin. Gibson handed Mandarin a story clipping from an old newspaper for the North Pole.

"Why, thank you. I was that elf's master, anyway. They were actually sent to Skeleton King to be new formless."

"They were?!" Sprx gaped.

Mandarin turned to him. "Of course. Evil never rests, as Antauri may have said often."

Antauri simply turned back to Santa, who was waving goodbye to the elves and children.

Everyone pretended the last adventure had not happened, and they were all together in the square, happily watching Santa talk to the special child.

Santa performed his show, and everyone, even Mandarin, decided that even if the events that passed were random, they could still celebrate, as a circle of family once more, heading back to Shugazoom.

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That ending was really random. But, anyway, Happy Holidays, and I hope you liked it!

Sparx and Nova 4ever: Ask Soul of Antauri! ^_^


End file.
